Jose Mourinho has taken the opportunity to pay his respects to Argentina legend Diego Maradona ahead of Roma’s Serie A clash with Napoli on Monday.
The Giallorossi are in Naples for their next domestic game, and that part of the world boasts plenty of murals and shrines to the 1986 World Cup winner.
Maradona, who passed away in November 2020, helped Napoli to two league titles and a UEFA Cup triumph across seven memorable years in Italy and will always be remembered as an all-time great.
Watch Mourinho pay tribute to Maradona
Did Mourinho ever meet Maradona?
Mourinho struck up a surprising friendship with Maradona over the years, with two larger-than-life characters in regular contact before and after games.
The man now in charge of Roma – having previously worked with Chelsea, Inter, Real Madrid and Manchester United – said after learning that the South American icon had died: "Maradona the world knows, the world never forgets.
"I made sure that my son knows a lot about him, even being born after he was a player. I know my son will make sure when he is a father he will not let his kids forget.
"It was a bit similar with [Alfredo] Di Stefano; I never saw him play football, but my dad made sure I knew a lot about him. With these generations, we have players of our generations, and in my generation was what everybody knows.
"Then there's Diego the guy. That one, I miss. I feel sorry that I didn't spend more time with him, I would have loved to. I think his family, his friends and colleagues are very privileged to know him well and spend time with him.
"I know him well enough and in my big defeats, he would always call me. In my big victories, never. But I will miss Diego, and I am very sad but I have a smile because with him, every minute I spent with him was to laugh."
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